Star Wars_ MedStar 02_ Jedi Healer - Michael Reaves [54]
He wasn’t sure why he had come this time. He hadn’t had an appointment, he’d just taken advantage of Merit’s free time. He needed to bounce this problem off somebody, and his kiosk mate was not as old as some of Jos’s boots.
“Tolk and I were doing fine…then she went up to take a CME class on MedStar. She was there when the decks blew—and since she’s gotten back, she’s been frostier than the snow outside your window.”
Merit nodded. “Why do you think that is?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?”
“Did you two argue about anything?”
“No.”
Merit nodded, and leaned back in his own formchair, which adjusted to match his new balance and contours. “Well, the accident was distressing to a lot of people.”
“The way I heard it,” Jos said, “it wasn’t an accident.”
Merit shrugged. “I’ve heard those rumors as well. Of course, the powers-that-be might want people to think that way—after all, if it was sabotage, that lets Security off the hook. The Republic is not immune to watching-your-backside disease.”
Jos knew that. He shrugged. “Barriss says it was deliberate. I believe her.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter for the purposes of our discussion. Whether the blowout was an accident or on purpose, it seems that the trauma of it may have hit Tolk harder than she’s letting on.”
“I’ve thought of that. But I don’t see how. We have more people die in this Rimsoo in any given month—in a week, sometimes—than died in the MedStar blast. Tolk is often working on them when they go, looking them right in the eyes. Why wouldn’t that bother her more than a bunch of people she didn’t know, and didn’t have to deal with?”
“I can’t say.” Klo paused, as if considering something.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m not a face reader, a Jedi, or a minder, Klo, but I didn’t just fall off the melbulb freighter, either. What?”
“How well do you know Tolk? I mean, yes, you’ve worked with her during your tour here, and you have established a relationship that, I assume, is physical?”
“You can assume that.”
“But—what do you know of her background? Her people, her politics, her social development?”
“What are you getting at?”
“Perhaps she has reasons to be upset that you can’t see. Perhaps there’s something in her background she hasn’t revealed to you.”
“I don’t think I like the way this conversation is going.”
The minder raised a pacifying hand. “I meant no insult to Tolk,” he said. “I’m merely suggesting that, as you point out, there would seem no ostensible reason for her to be more upset about an explosion on the MedStar than she’d be in the day-to-day goings-on here in the Rimsoo. Therefore, there could be another reason.”
Jos blinked at him. “Are you suggesting that she had something to do with it?”
“Of course not, Jos. Only that there is apparently something going on with Tolk about which you seem to be in the dark. If you had any idea what that might be, maybe you could resolve this. At the very least, you’d have more tools to work with.”
Jos brooded. “So far, I haven’t been able to get her to talk to me about anything of substance.”
“And therefore you lack enough information to make even an educated guess. You might see if you can find out more. It could be nothing serious—some past trauma connected to her family or friends that triggered old memories, for example. But until you gather more data, all you have is speculation,” Klo said. “There’s no future in that.”
Jos nodded. Klo was right. He needed to talk to Tolk about this, find out what was really bothering her. They could deal with it together,